If you enjoy this episode, please click the like button 👍 It makes a massive difference to us and helps us to keep bringing you more episodes. Thank you!

Great discussion. I still think it shame HS2 phase 2 was cancelled.

Absolutely top notch as usual, Nigel, Richard and Stef. Thank you for the mention!

It seems that Phase 2 is dead, but I'm hoping that Labour will rebrand Phase 2, 'Stafford Bypass+' or something. They'll claim they've reduced the scope and cost, but hopefully we will effectively get Ph2a as originally intended.

Get that flying rishi FOI request appealed and failing that off to the information commissioner. There is definitely a legitimate public interest in finding out about his flying miles.

Thanks for the name check! (Yes, I'm a bit late in viewing this one, sorry)

Great selection of topics as usual. Suspect Gov minister will try and avoid you, or will appear but just say 'no money' to each question! Labour avoiding 2a seems dodgy, not sure why as I agree with Nigel that it should be easily restartable if the gap is not too long. The telegraph article was a shocker. I used London to Scotland east coast services many times a year in the 80s and 90s and never had a delay. I even mentioned this when Chris Green was launching the InterCity history book at the end of BR and was sent a free copy! Maybe you could supply a few of those excellent books to the politicians. I think a lot of problems of cost are due to stop-start nature of upgrades instead of continual improvement with teams who improve productivity and reduce cost over time. Electrification is a prime example. I did see a NR video this week on better pantographs which allow the wires to be lower meaning fewer bridges need raising. Progress including working with universities to advance technology is a good thing to see. Looking forward to the green signals mugs!

Excellent analysis on Phase 2a cancellation but the lack of progress on Euston is arguably more important to sort out first.

Many thanks for another great episode! I absolutely agree re HS2 2A/hippopotamus or whatever; but your point about politicians getting bored is very relevant. Is there really no way of getting these mega-projects done more quickly, and less expensively? (mutter mutter, the Victorians got the first London to Birmingham line up and running in four years etc.) HS2 is wrecked; the Elizabeth line was nearly lost, and took many more years to build that it might have, due to signalling/control complications, and a desire to have everything on a grand scale; Crossrail 2 is off the cards for a long time; GW electrification messed up the chance of a rolling program. Yet there have been many smaller scale successes. Maybe limit schemes to ones which can be done within four years? I also agree with your comments on Mark Harper and the real need for separation between policy and management. For me one big elephant which is noticeably absent from the rooms in question is that of proper integration between rail and buses - something most travellers want, so it should be a motivation both to elected MPs (who ultimately decide policy) and management, who - presumably - want to maximise their market and revenue. Why didn't this happen post 1940s nationalisation? Why not under Barbara Castle? Why not in the 70s after the buses were largely nationalised? why not when the privatised railways were being run by the 'bus bandits'? Why not now? - it was welcome news to hear that Great Western are actively looking at some rail-bus links, but disappointing that they had ruled out through ticketing. Looking forward to your next broadcast

Another great podcast- really enjoyable. But!....Is it not about time the old cliché about British Rail sandwiches was laid to rest? In the video description are the words "is it back to the bad old days of curly sandwiches". I often had excellent sandwiches for lunch in the station buffet at Didcot, and also at Newport. Food on the trains was also good. Regrettably, this false image of BR catering has been published so much that people who did not experience that era actually believe it.

Should have gone to Pixel Shack for your mugs, they are great at producing them for BRCW and many other groups.

I wonder if 1972 saw the last use of water troughs in the UK, probably on the ECML as Deltics and 40s were equipped with scoops to collect water for their steam heating boilers.

The last running of the named train Golden Arrow 30th sept 1972 From London to Dover to catch a connection to the French Flèche d’Or service to Paris There was a delay in listening this week but hopefully by the next show I will have 100 old railway books arriving from so I’ll be cramming for the questions I even have one on BR catering so I’ll see if there is a recipe to a BR pie or ham sarnie Really loving the podcast

There are plenty of staff on the railway that go the extra mile when required. I left something on the train but was able to get it back as the train went back up the line. Speaking to the guard he advised he was going to Clapham Junction after his shift ended to give someone there mobile back. Mick Whelan referred to it as well. In times of disruption train staff don’t deliberately abandon passengers and go hope. Yes passengers do get abandoned but that’s a management decision to minimise the consequences of the disruption. Staff generally want to do their best for passengers.

Just an observation re Richard's comment about civil servants being good at avoiduing risk, and railway professionals at managing risk: I'm sure you are right in general, but I just watched a youtube video about the wreck of the 'Broker' train (Woodbridge, New Jersey, 1951) which might lead a civil servant to question just how good railway professionals have been at managing risk ...

Last run of London to Paris of the Golden Arrow took place 30 Sept 1972.

Need those mugs I was late listening this time a work meeting clashed with the release of the podcast But a great listen to hear before bed would better with a cup of coco

Last run of the Golden Arrow.

I'm in violent agreement with Richard that the status quo on the railway is not an option. My fear is that given the latest U-turn by Labour on it's green commitments any policy announcements on rail might also be reversed if "toxic branding" is feared. This might result in maintenance of the status quo, turning the whole system into the turkey line. If Louise Haigh does come on the podcast this might be a point you could put to her to respond to.

The departments response to the PAC says that the management and oversight of HS2 has changed. Do you know how and what confidence do you have that this will stop the gold plating on this project?

Last railway horse retired? Bit of a guess TBH.

On the subject of BR Mk2 its a given we can not go back in time to the 1960's the real world has moven on and moved on alot. that the Tory press and minsters seam to be in pre election mode and frankly like Mr Dumpy Trumpy in the USA only talk to the hard core election base with tropes and cult belives in how the world is or should be . Most of Europe the given view of the electorit the people is that the railway must work be clean, ontime, as you said boringly reliable it is not a political football as it has been in the UK , So were we have arrived to now2024 is on passanger and fright is a lack of goverment vishion and comitment. So one things BR mk 2 is in the mind of the public to do is remove or punish bad opperators it has to have teeth the has tobe bi anual reviews at witch a opperator of managment companey can be put into specal mesures of repromanded or sacked . like anyother comercail arangment " no beans in a tin of beans I get my money back " .... that BR mk2 needs to look at provishion of sirvices given my anicdotal experance of seeing meer 100's of people getting off trains at 1730 tuesday at eustion and some pritty un full departing trains , copasity has to focuse on fright and it needs to grow if the are to be real Co2 etc benifits . any way a good and intresting pod cast .

It'll be interesting to see if Labour is stupid enough to renationalise the railways and thus be on the hook for the persistent late running of the 07:46 from Little Snotting to Waterloo. Given it's just baled on buying some windmills and solar panels, one suspects the appetite at Labour HQ for big projects may be waning in the face of the fiscal reality of what it's about to inherit... Good show, as usual!

There was never a decent business case for the original HS2 project in the first place. The whole thing should have been canned a decade ago at least. And, post lockdowns, in the age of videoconferencing, MS Teams etc, there is no viable case any more for HS2 in the first place. The original business case was never solid enough to proceed on. There was never going to be any way of introducing "more capacity" without negatively impacting other waypoints along the WCML as there is no like for like comparison between HS2 and the existing WCML in terms of service availability. You cannot say you have more capacity on the WCML without moving services from there to HS2 without impacting the likes of Coventry and Milton Keynes. There is nothing that goes from Euston to BNS that doesnt stop at Coventry at least, if not Rugby also. So, as neither of these stations are served by HS2, any comparison and offering of "extra capacity" is fallacious. The whole thing is a total white elephant. There is no such thing these days as railway "privatisation". Its all outsourced. Anything that Labour is promising about "taking back into public ownership" is window dressing BS designed for the idealist activists. Its nothing more than red meat for the activist base, in the same way that Brexit was for the tories. Its utterly totally and completely meaningless.

Great British railways. More like great English railways.

The Issue with HS2 is that it has taken too long ! and things have moved on it became a vanity project then was cut back links to heathrow HS 1 no parkand ride station in the chiltons etc That what was need was a copasity inhancing mainline was not as sexey sounding as hightspeed with all its costs the desishion to build curszan st is just mad anyone with a brain or from china LOL would have said deep tunnl under newstreet the transport hub .......much like the R101 HS2 becme badly conceved and over build hence it crashed and burnt For Labour yes HS2 it a toxic brand and the is little cash ! that the Crew to manchester leg is critical the mess the scrapt HS2 leveas reduces fright and passanger copasity ... so a mainline relief line is whats need a rebuilt crew station with the low level tracks open to passanges is a must ... The kind of time savings of HS2 were not spectaqulor like 60mins but meer 10's of mins so a fast main line at 140mph gives the advantage of being seperated from other traffic few juntions and stations the jouney should be quick and reliable which is the key word reliable that the 390 pendo trains could be re ferbished and stand in for 5 to 8 years would again save costs a new train could well be a unreliable train with major issues TPE nover trains the Libity Acela in the USA .... that the other parts of HS2 should be built to the east to give dedicated fast trains , and give fast cross country conections it should not be all about london but cardiff and bristol Leed york newcastle any way enjoyed the talking